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| WVEC-TV | |
|---|---|
| Callsign | WVEC-TV |
| City | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Branding | 13NewsNow |
| Digital | 13 (VHF) |
| Virtual | 13 |
| Owner | Tegna Inc. |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Callsign meaning | None |
| Sister stations | WTKR |
| Facility id | 74176 |
| Location | Norfolk–Hampton Roads, Virginia |
WVEC-TV is a television station serving the Norfolk–Hampton Roads market in southeastern Virginia. The station operates on virtual channel 13 and broadcasts a mix of network, syndicated, and local programming. It has played a prominent role in regional broadcasting, competing with other legacy stations and adapting through corporate consolidation, technological change, and shifting audience habits.
The station began broadcasting in 1953 during the postwar expansion of television that involved networks such as National Broadcasting Company, Columbia Broadcasting System, and American Broadcasting Company. Early ownership included regional broadcasters and was influenced by regulatory decisions by the Federal Communications Commission. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the station navigated network affiliation dynamics similar to those facing stations in markets like New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In the 1970s and 1980s corporate consolidation in broadcasting saw ownership connections to groups like Times Mirror Company and later to media conglomerates analogous to Gannett Company and Nexstar Media Group. The station upgraded its facilities in the 1990s with investments in digital transmission technologies, paralleling national transitions mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. In the 2000s technological shifts including the nationwide analog-to-digital conversion affected the station as they implemented new transmitters consistent with FCC deadlines. Ownership changes in the 2010s reflected the strategies of companies such as Tegna Inc. and other publicly traded media corporations. The station has weathered major regional events reported alongside outlets like The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press (Newport News), and national coverage from networks including ABC News and CBS News.
The station's schedule traditionally includes network programming from American Broadcasting Company alongside syndicated shows sourced from distributors such as Sinclair Broadcast Group-partnered vendors or national syndicators analogous to CBS Television Distribution. Daytime and late-night lineups feature talk and entertainment programs similar to The View, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and late-night franchises like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Weekend blocks have included sports telecasts relevant to regional viewers, complementing national rights held by organizations like National Football League and events covered by Major League Baseball. The station airs locally produced public affairs and lifestyle programs comparable to those on stations in Baltimore and Raleigh, North Carolina. Special event coverage has included statewide political debates involving figures connected with Virginia Commonwealth University and reporting on military installations such as Naval Station Norfolk and Langley Air Force Base. Syndicated entertainment and courtroom programming from distributors such as Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution have been part of the lineup, alongside locally targeted weather segments using data sources similar to National Weather Service models.
The station operates a news department producing morning, midday, evening, and late newscasts with anchors and reporters covering local beats including politics at the Virginia General Assembly, regional transit systems like Hampton Roads Transit, and maritime commerce at the Port of Virginia. The newsroom employs technologies consistent with industry standards, integrating field reporting tools used by crews covering events such as Hurricane Isabel-style storms or incidents near Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel. The station has competed with market rivals including outlets affiliated with NBC, CBS, and Fox Broadcasting Company for ratings and investigative journalism awards akin to honors from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists. Partnerships with local universities such as Old Dominion University and cultural institutions like the Chrysler Museum of Art occasionally inform feature reporting and community engagement initiatives.
Broadcast operations utilize digital transmitters on VHF channel allocations consistent with post-2009 spectrum repack processes administered by the Federal Communications Commission. The station's technical staff has coordinated antenna changes and effective radiated power adjustments similar to those implemented by broadcasters across markets including Richmond, Virginia and Raleigh–Durham. Multicasting allows the station to carry additional subchannels that can host networks comparable to MeTV, The CW, or Bounce TV. Master control and technical operations have interfaced with vendors and standards bodies such as the Advanced Television Systems Committee to support high-definition workflows and closed captioning requirements under federal mandates like the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010. The station's signal serves counties and independent cities across the Hampton Roads television market including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, and Suffolk.
Over the decades, the station's roster has included anchors, meteorologists, and reporters who later moved to national platforms or joined government and nonprofit sectors. Personnel have had career intersections with organizations such as National Public Radio, Weather Channel, and networks like CNN. Some alumni pursued academic appointments at institutions including George Mason University and Old Dominion University; others were recognized by local civic groups such as the United Way and chambers of commerce in Hampton Roads. The station's meteorologists have collaborated with researchers at Virginia Tech on storm impact studies and with analysts from agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The station serves the Hampton Roads designated market area, competing with stations affiliated with National Broadcasting Company, CBS, Fox Broadcasting Company, and The CW. Market dynamics reflect regional demographics tied to military, maritime, and tourism economies centered on landmarks such as Colonial Williamsburg, Fort Monroe, and the Virginia Air & Space Center. Network affiliation arrangements and retransmission consent negotiations involve large cable and satellite providers like Comcast, DISH Network, and DirecTV. Advertising markets connect the station to regional advertisers including hospitality firms, defense contractors with presence near Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and higher education institutions such as Hampton University and Christopher Newport University.
Category:Television stations in Virginia